Building Fantasies
by VigaWriter
Summary: An Atop The Fourth Wall Fanfic. Jearis' wife, Melcandy, travels space to find him. 90's Kid befriends her and has his first crush. Linkara is trying to build a friendship with his former enemy, Jearis. Building a relationship is important, but when revenge and spaceships come into play, they can become fantasies.
1. Make The Stuff Do The Thing

"90's Kid! Where the hell is my variable cryptochisel! Where is my hyperresonant mallet! And where is my damn super glue!" yelled an accented voice. It came from a man in a trench coat and gloves and peculiar goggles.

"90's Kid is on the ship, Linksano." snapped Linkara, whos comic reading was disrupted by his yelling.

"Damn that child of grunge stricken decades past! I've been trying to find way to help our Gunslinger friend. I probably would be faster at it if 90's kid didn't stop borrowing my tools without permission!" Linksano mumbled. "What could he be doing!?"

Nirvana blared loudly and echoed on the walls of the hangar bay of Comicron-1. It held the Vigilant, the scout ship named by the fans. 90's Kid sat in the cockpit of that small ship messing around with various things inside. He screwed open some panels, laid wires across the floor and was examining a piece he took out as he sang. "I'm so happy because today I've found my friends! They're in my head. I'm so ugly but that's okay cause so are you! We've broken our mirrors! Sunday morning is everyday for all I ca-"

"90's Kid!" interrupted Dr. Linksano, marching into the hangar of the ship.

"Hey Linksano!" he exclaimed peeking his head outside with a smile and his usual nod.

"Quit borrowing my stuff without permission! You don't know how to use these delicate tools!"

"Cha! I know enough science stuff."

"You went into my lab and fused my lab rat with a toy motorcycle!" screamed Linksano, wildly gesturing at the absurdity of saying such a thing.

"I thought that way I could have real life Biker Mice from Marrrs!" 90's Kid said with his usual inflection.

Under Linksano's goggles he glared at 90's Kid and just grabbed his tools and left. He turned his head to 90's Kid. "Stay out of my laboratory!"

90's Kid sat there a bit dejected, but cheered up right away once his favorite part of the song came one. "I miss you! I'm not gonna crack! I love you! I'm not gonna crack! I kill you! I'm not gonna crack!" he sang taking out a screwdriver. As he flipped switches and examined things, he laughed to himself. He noticed a glowing cube in one compartment. I wondered what that is, he thought. Instead, he went back to what he was trying to do.

Debris and various items were beamed onto a small ship. The ship was no bigger than a large truck but was outfitted with impressive boosters not found on many ships that size. It wasn't very sleek and had obvious added on parts that made the ship look geometric and bulky. The hull had an attached laser cannon that came from a military spacecraft. Two smaller cannons were on each side, but you could tell they came from different origins with one being square and the other round and long. The only thing that made the ship look unified was the red paint that decorated it. This was in another part of space, in another dimension. The Bulk n' Skull, was a ship made job and a quest.

It wasn't much, but it was the mobile home for Melcandith "Melcandy" Williamson and it was good enough for her. Who wouldn't feel fond of living inside something made with their hands? The hodge podge ship was her pride and joy.

Her control room was round and behind her was her dining/living/everything room and a small room where she slept. She may have built the ship, but it barely enough space for one person. "Sad. Must've been quite a shootout to make this much debris" she said leaning back in her captain's chair. "Cleanse the material of anything organic just in case, Telly." Her voice had a slight southern twang that was pleasant and subtle.

"Complying and noting that this is gross." Said a voice that sounded robotic and female.

"Your face is gross." Melcandy teased.

"Being that you programmed my face, it's entirely your fault." Telly snarked. The interface was actually a face on the main screen of the ship. It was all red and bald with female features and blue eyes.

"Whatever."

"I win this insult contest. Mel: 32 Telly: 193."

"It's good day, so I'll let you have that... Again." she told her interfaceas she rose to head to the fridge nearby She began to take out her usual breakfast. Cereal, milk, and a strange fruit shaped liked the letter T that she found on her journeys. It tasted like cranberries. She sat her bowl and food on a table across from a framed photograph."Telly. Make note of some of the stuff we found. I'll go down and sort it later. Oh, and let me know if you found IT."

"Yes, Melcandy."

As she prepared her meal she looked at the photograph. She remembered a time when she would make two meals in the morning. Before she took a bite, she looked over at the picture which was of a long haired blonde man. "Good morning, Jearis." She said changing into a downtrodden expression. "I miss ya."

"Melcandy! It's IT!" Telly interrupted. She dashed away from the breakfast table and jumped down a hole in the floor instead of taking the ladder. She opened the airlock and a pile of junk fell out and spread across the floor. Amidst the rubble and scrap parts was a faint glow within a container. Melcandy's face slowly grew a smile.

In a town called Shoreview lived a nerdy comic reviewer, which is weird by itself. However, he saved the world, he fought a war with a micronation, owned a spaceship and used magic. He was the resident ultra geek, comic book loving, fedora wearing, wizard like young man, Linkara. A man stressed over the cleanliness of his extremely nerdy apartment.

"This is very unlike you, Kid." said Harvey Finevoice, a man in a black tux and a matching hat. He took a puff from his cigarette. "Usually, I'm the one that gets you guys to clean up around here."

"Well," Linkara sighed. "Me and Jearis been through a lot and didn't start on the best of circumstances. Yeah, we're making amends and he helped with our problems too, but we never hung out as just friends." He paused and caressed his gun in his holster as he became shamefaced. "We both made mistakes and accepted each other apologies, but I'd like to have a friendship."

A ding went off in the kitchen. Harvey sniffed. "Hot pockets?"

"Pizza rolls. I hate Hot Pockets." Linkara said.

"They're pretty good but I'd hate them too if I heard three hours of the word over and over." a familiar voice stated behind them. Jearis stood there with a smug smile and crossed arms.

"Jeez, blondie!" Harvey shouted. "You gonna give me a heart attack."

"I have that tendency." he explained in his southern drawl with a smirk. Harvey reciprocated with a scowl before forcing a smile. Linkara nervousness was hidden beneath his neighborly demeanor, a technique he mastered. "So, what's for dinner?" Jearis asked.

A half an hour passed till they finished the pizza rolls and then began the main course of spaghetti and garlic bread. Obviously with the pizza rolls, it's an Italian theme. Are pizza rolls even Italian enough to count this meal as a theme? Is this just half assed American style of an Italian meal? These were the thoughts in Linkara's head as they awkwardly ate the damn pasta in silence.

Harvey went out to a gig. Linksano took his plate to his room. 90's kid did the same, but had snuck a whisk and a crab mallet in his pocket from the kitchen. Finally, Pollo was with Sierra talking trash and doing the daily task of helping Jearis. This left the two alone to bond and do whatever. The problem was finding a whatever to do.

Jearis broke the silence. "I once accidentally ate my hair when eating pasta." Linkara laughed and almost choked.

Some time passed again and they sat on the couch far apart from each other. Friendly topics raced through Linkara's mind. He finally chose one he was comfortable with.

"So... Comics. Like them, Jearis?" Linkara asked on his turn to break the silence.

"Nah, not my thing." he answered.

"Oh." Linkara thought of some recommendations. "You can borrow any if you want to try. I recommend anything by Gail Simone, or my favorite series 52. Or maybe, THIS!" He stepped to his bookshelf and pulled out his favorite comic. It was JLA: The Technis Imperative. A sure fire comic to get someone interested, he thought. He began to hand it to Jearis. "Jearis, this baby is abo-"

Jearis sneezed on his comic and his hands. They both were poker faced at the awkward moment.

"Sorry." he said shyly.

"It's okay. Bless you." Linkara said. "So, what do you like?"

"Music. I reviewed it back in the day. I was in a band once too. Those were good ol' days. You like any bands, Linkara?"

"I don't really follow any bands. I do like songs though."

"Oh." Jearis said kind of disappointed. I would have liked a hardcore music conversation. I could use Todd in the Shadows number, he thought.

Time passed and Linkara had the idea of playing something to bridge the gap between them. It helped keep the strange silence at bay. When Spoony visited, Tekken was left, so they decided to play it. Linkara was winning 3 to 1 despite utterly sucking.

"I haven't played any games like this since..." Jearis paused. He gulped, turned sullen and put down his controller. "Since I had everyone on my ship. I had a gaming friend with a gun. A huge geek. He called his gun his 'waifu.' " Linkara grinned. He was glad his friend seemed to be opening up a bit more. "There was this one critic who was dumb with an ego and kinda wanted to be the leader."

"I know someone who is like that! Well, used to be like that. More then than now." Linkara told him. "I have a few adventures to tell you."

Melcandy sweated over table of tools, pieces of metal, scraps, wire and a glowing cube. A tool would be use, tossed, then hammering would start. Building can be haphazard for some creators. "Telly, what is the next part of the directions?" she inquired.

"After screwing in the limiter brace, copy the signature of the dimension drive into the hard drive. Sync it with the system." Telly explained. "This will create a localized, non-corrosive amalgamation of asynchronous space that's also compact and will fit in your pocket."

"Okay, I understood part of that." Melcandy sighed. "If I'm going to do this, I need an anchor. I also need a better explanation to make one."

"Make the stuff do the thing. The end."

"Screw you, Telly."

"Mel: 32 Telly: 194."

Melcandy then screwed in a piece and she heard a hum. "I think I did it!" she exclaimed. "Or doing it. Right?"

"Perhaps. We'll see."

"We can't see! If I jump to another world, I might die instantly!" Melcandy yelled. She sighed and brushed back her bangs with her hand. "At least installing that dimensional drive will be easier than braiding Jearis' hair." She laughed. "Or him accidentally eating it in pasta!"

The night ended late at Linkara's apartment. After a few rounds of Tekken, talking about adventures they had in the past, Jearis got ready to beam home.

"Thanks. You know. For this." Jearis said holding out his hand.

Linkara shook it and said "No problem. It's good to make time for friends and not just talk business."

"Yeah. It reminded me of old times." Jearis told him with a wistful look in his eyes. He didn't have to say anything to Linkara. One look at Jearis and you could tell that his mind was in a tornado of nostalgia and caught in causalities. Linkara understood that feeling well and a small twinge of guilt from stranding him in this world came up. It made him have a despondent demeanor for a second, but he remembered what he said to him when he apologized. That was something they both had to remember.

"Let's go out next time." Jearis said and broke Linkara's brief thoughts. "A bar." Then he beamed home.

Pollo beamed back into the living room and hovered over to Linkara. "How was your date?" He joked.

"Ha!" Linkara snarked at the little blue robot.

The hodge podge ship was going through the final tests. Blips, beeps and lights went off and you knew that meant some stuff was about to happen. Melcandy paced around the cabin of the ship furiously as she ran last minute checks.

"Dimensional drive online." stated Telly.

"Activate one! Activate two! Core pulse?"

"At maximum. Engines synced. Backflow power to stabilization."

"Localize the D field and isolate the plasma capacitor for easier warp!"

"Affirmative. Activated three. Anything else, Melcandy?"

"Blah blah techno thingy space talk!" joked Melcandy. She looked down at her anchor to her world. It was a necklace she created. On it she etched the same pattern that was on her husband's pocket watch. With it she could go back to her world and hopefully with him. She held her necklace and smiled.

"All checks are complete. Shall we go?"

"Yes." Melcandy confirmed. The ship then opened a hole in front of it and flew its way through.

She collapsed into the captain's seat. She laid her head back and closed her eyes. Jearis. Wait for me. I'm going to find you.

The next day, Linksano stomped into the hangar of Comicron-1. His breath was heavy and his face was scowling. "90's Kid! Get down here!" he shrieked.

"Ugh, what is it dude!? I don't have your tools! Stop yelling at me!" he yelled down from the cockpit of the Vigilant.

"You took another important tool! I need that whisk for my omelets!" Linksano shouted. 90's Kid tossed it down.

"Can I have bacon with mine?"

Linksano looked at 90's Kid cockeyed, not that you could tell with the goggles. They both looked at each other in a huff. "Fine." Linksano grumbled as he walked away.

90's Kid smiled as he turned on his music. A pattern of beeps interupted and he found the button on the ship's console to stop it. A video popped up on the screen. He saw a woman with short black hair kept up in a messy ponytail with long bangs parted to the sides. She had dark caramel colored skin and wore a thin white tank top under her open, unzipped, red jumpsuit. A necklace hung in the middle of her chest.

"Hello. This is Melcandith Williamson of the ship Bulk n' Skull. Do you read me?"

90's Kid looked up with a smile. He greeted her enthusiastically."Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude!"

End Chapter 1


	2. 2000 Light Years Away

"This is the ship Bulk n' Skull. Do you read me, uh, dude?" said a perplexed. She noticed his backwards cap and sunglasses and his loose fitting plaid shirt on top of a tee shirt. I guess they dress similar to back home here, she thought.

90's Kid noticed her open jumpsuit and tank top and the strange necklace that hung from her neck. Her long bangs that she swiped to her sides and her messy ponytail. I guess they cosplay _Portal _in space there, he thought. "This is 90's Kid and what you see is what you get!"

She tried to sound professional. "I am a traveler looking for info about this place. What planet is this?"

"Earth! A Bodacious planet with babes, Sega and Rob Liefeld!" 90's Kid gushed. Of all the people and channels to hail, I found the village idiot ship, she thought. "Are you an alien?" he asked.

"I'm from a different...place." she hesitated. She was unsure how someone from Earth would take the thought of a dimension hopping woman in a spaceship. He was obviously on a ship by the looks of it. Maybe it was okay to talk about herself, but first she wanted answers. 90's Kid butted in before she could say more.

"Do you have cool technology and giant guns on your ship!?"

"Well, I don't want to brag bu-"

"Yes you do!" Telly chimed in. Melcandy glared at Telly.

"I'm a scrap seller." she began. "I find parts from old ships at junkyards and debris and sell 'em. I built this ship myself by working hard for years. There's military grade petit laser cannons I got camping out a space battle between two worlds. I did a few suspect things for the master cannon, but the ends justified the means. I got smaller weapons, torpedo launchers and built this ship to withstand a lot despite its size. I even gave it some unique abilities. I'm proud of my baby."

"To add to her excessive bragging, she programmed me from scratch. I'm Telly, the AI that keeps her alive and out of trouble." Telly bluntly added.

"I didn't program you to be my mom." Melcandy snapped.

"You wish your mom was this incredible."

"Like you wish you mom wasn't a TI-83 calculator?" added Melcandy. "Mel: 33 Telly: 194. Victory shall be mine!"

"Still winning." Telly reminded her. They both noticed 90's Kid laughing in the background. Melcandy blushed in embarrassment over this teenager laughing at their usual banter. She tried to regain her professional composure, but it was already gone after that moment.

"Man! That ship is awesome! It's half guuuuunnnnnn!" 90's Kid grinned.

"I also painted it red." Melcandy said.

"That makes it double hardcore! It needs a name like 'Bloodship' or 'Gunblow'!" He told her while putting up the horns. Melcandy giggled at his enthusiasm and silly names. "I'm trying to make this little ship hardcore too! I got tools, and wire and a Sega Genesis to put in it!"

Melcandy sat back with a smile. Talking to someone other than Telly was entertaining. His excited youthful demeanor was just what she needed to light up her life. "How about a deal? I'll help you with your project and you can tell me about your world and junk. We have a deal, kid?"

"That would be AWESOME!" 90's Kid agreed.

"90's Kid! Omelets!" said a voice coming from his pocket communicator.

"I gotta go, awesome lady!" 90's Kid grinned.

"Call me, Melcandy." she told him.

She turned off the screen, ending the conversation. "You ended that quickly. Aren't you gung ho about finding Jearis?" Telly inquired.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not an idiot. Let's start running a scan on the planet and its surrounding area. My necklace anchor has a unique signal and he should have the exact same signal coming from his pocket watch since we're from the same world. We'll know if he's here within two days max. Maybe just one day. It would be faster if we had more power."

"Blame your lack of building and programming know how."

"Blame your mom! ...Wait."

"HA! As my programmer, doesn't that make you my mom?" Telly joked. "I believe it's Mel: 33 Telly: 195 now!"

In the geeky Minnesotan apartment the delicious omelet breakfast commenced. Harvey walked in the front door and was greeted by the smell of eggs and bacon. He sat on the couch next to Linkara who was half done eating his omelet. "Hey, Harvey. Can I ask you something?" he said.

"Sure, Kid. But get the cheese off your face." Harvey told him.

"Oh." Linkara mouthed as he wiped off his face with a sleeve. "Well, you know I'm trying to be friends with Jearis." Harvey winced at the mention of the name. He didn't like that gunslinger from day one whether he apologized or not. "Harvey, don't be like that. Anyway, it was kinda awkward at first, but ended okay. I just don't know how to be..." he paused and gestured as he tried to find the words.

"RADICAL!" 90's Kid interrupted from the kitchen as he grabbed his omelet.

"No one says 'radical' anymore, 90's Kid!" Linkara said peeved.

"Sadical." 90's Kid replied.

"Anyway, Harvey, I guess more casual and relaxed is what I'm getting at." Linkara continued.

"Just do that." Harvey said while taking him by the shoulder. "The more you worry about it, the less you are casual and relaxed."

"Ok." Linkara wavered. Showing doubt in his voice was odd for the normally loud, hotshot reviewer.

"Take him somewhere he would be comfortable. Did he mention anywhere?"

"The bar!" Linkara realized. "I can take him to my usual place! Great idea, Harvey!"

"No problem, Kid. But I am worried about that gun nut."

"We forgave each other." he reminded Harvey. "It's in the past. Anyway, I'm going to see if he wants to go tonight."

"Linkara! Dude! I need to borrow your sonic screwdriver! Bye!" 90's Kid yelled with his mouth full of omelet and he beamed away quickly.

"90's Kid!" Linkara shouted as he was beaming away.

"Well, I don't think he'll do anything bad with it." Harvey said.

"Nothing BADICAL!" Linksano chimed in from the kitchen. Linkara and Harvey shared a groan at the pun.

The late morning and afternoon was filled with tinkering and building. 90's Kid's pet project was starting to take shape. He hung from a harness under the scout ship and worked on what looked like an engine, looked at the glowing magical core, wondered if he could take the landing wheels and turn them into grappling arms and examined the weapon systems to see how hardcore they were compared to Melcandy's. Lastly, he drew what he hoped would be the finished product with the best technology ___Crayola_ could provide.

90's Kid's mind drifted to Melcandy while he worked. She was fresh, all that, a bag of chips and many other positive 90's slang terms that were synonyms for the word beautiful. Something about her made 90's kid just want to talk to her again. The first thing he did when he returned to the cockpit with a box of various controllers and items was to try to call her back. He was hesitant. Why, he thought. She's just a chick. Before he could the beeps started and he answered.

"Hello!" greeted Melcandy. "I was bored, so I called."

"Hey, Melcandy!" 90's Kid said excitedly. "Look what I got!" He held up a power glove and a Sega activator. "These are totally going in the ship controls!"

"How?" she asked.

"Uh, with science?" 90's Kid shrugged.

"He sounds like you when you started." Telly said. Melcandy shook her head.

"So, what is your goal? What are you trying to do?" Melcandy asked him.

"To make the most awesome, extreme, spaceship evvvvvvvverrrrrrrrrr!" he declared.

"That's... it?" she asked with some confusion.

"Yeah! Why not? I can go out and find alien worlds. Or just say I have a ship with lots of guunnnnns!"

Melcandy fought the urge to facepalm. Telly was correct in saying that's how she once was. When she was young, before she met Jearis, her sole reason for getting into her technology college was to do that very thing. Now her goal was much loftier and required more advanced thought, but helping him would be fun.

"Okay, let me see your files on your ship. Let's make the most awesome ship ever!" she told him.

"Really, awesome!" he said happily. "I'll totally add in scans of my favorite comic, Bloodspit Firegun and Bludgun! They're extreme!"

"Heh. I'll show you an extreme comic. Wait till you see this comic team. Tank Babes! They have adventures in a cyberpunk apocalypse searching for the best things in the world: brew, guns and music!" she said holding up a comic. "It's a guilty pleasure."

90's Kid heart skipped a beat for the first time in his life. He looked at her in a new light. If this was a movie montage, it would be playing___ Dreamweaver_. If it was the movie about 90's Kid the song would be Smashing Pumpkin's ___Luna_, or Mr. Big's ___To Be With You_, but the closest song in his mind was Green Day's ___2000 Light Years Away_. His blue eyes fixated on her brown eyes. I could stare at her forever, he thought. You gotta like a girl who likes extreme comics.

"Uh, 90's Kid, you there?" Melcandy asked breaking him out of his daze.

"U-um yeah, dude." he stuttered. He hid his blush with a hand. "Let me send you that stuff. Uh, got a ___Dropbox_?"

Another ship that was also a small house floated near Comicron-1. Jearis laid in bed and stared at the ceiling. Thoughts of his wife prompted him to pick up the tablet on his nightstand. He played a video from the old days of his wife at home. She wore a loose paisley dress, cowboy boots and her kitchen apron.

"Don't film me like this, Jearis!" Melcandy giggled.

"I just like to get lots of clips of you. Maybe I should get a nice view from below." he joked while pulling up her dress.

"If you weren't my husband, I'd hit ya." she flirted while grabbing her dress.

"In the nice way?" he asked seductively.

He stopped the video and put back the tablet. Tears started to flow from his eyes and he grabbed his pillow for comfort. He whispered her name while digging his face in the pillow. Her tomboyish demeanor, her love of creating things, her body, her hair, and her scent ran though his mind. He needed all of it.

"Master, you got a visitor." said Sierra over the sound system.

Jearis quickly put on yesterday's pants and ran out to the living room where Linkara stood waiting.

"I was wondering if you were up for going to the bar? I know a great place." Linkara asked. Jearis looked over at the empty liquor cabinet.

"Yes."

Two hours, five beers, two shots and a shared mojito later, a drunken Jearis was dancing to a song that reminded him of another song back home. Linkara laughed at his strange dancing and tried to show him how it's done. Pollo accompanied them as the designated "make sure we don't F up while drunk" guy and was secretly the "film embarrassing funny moments to put on ___You Tube_" guy. At this moment, he was the latter.

"You got no good moves, Linkara!" Jearis shouted over the music while doing the running man.

"Actually, yeah I don't, but whatever!" he laughed as he did the cabbage patch.

They sat at the bar and resumed their drinks. A cute long haired girl sat next to Jearis.

"Saw your moves." she started. "Want to do some with me." Jearis looked at her. Her hair was in a ponytail and side bangs. It reminded him so much of his wife.

"No thanks, ma'am" he told her and she left.

Linkara saw this and was afraid to ask about his wife, but he was curious. "What is she like?"

"Like a ball of energy. A light at the end of a dark tunnel. A hot summer day. A determined animal. A punch to the face." Jearis answered. Linkara looked confused at his analogies. "Melcandith. Melcandy is her nickname. She's so beautiful."

He remembered the time they met. It was years prior to the events that took him far into space. He reviewed music and played in a band and lived in a college town filled with youths. It was a warm late summer evening and he was playing at a little bar and club called Scorpio. His band was called Xenon and he was the guitarist. It was a full club and as Jearis played he felt his foot step on something. It was a hand of a woman who was hanging on to the stage. She was energetic and sang along to the songs. He mouthed 'sorry' to her and she replied with a thumbs up.

They approached each other after show and had a conversation that kept them up late. They fell asleep in a diner booth and were dating by the morning. Their relationship continued and she joined him on the strange adventures this internet music reviewer somehow had. She had science and he had magic. She made technology while he made music. Their differences complemented each other. After two years, they married and made the bond that gave birth to his gun. Jearis' became bleak when he told that part. An old 90's song played and he continued his nostalgic stories about her till last call.

90's Kid was hard at work soldering a Sega Genesis to some wires. He finished it by placing it in a new case and hooking a controller cord into it. Melcandy was instructing him on the little things like how to tighten a bolt or making sure your plasma cannon won't overheat. His project was taking shape despite not having access to things she could easily get.

"90's Kid, I feel like we're making a work of art." she beamed. "This reminds me of what I did in college! I'm fangirling so much!" A Nirvana song came on in the background and Melcandy's mood changed.

"You like this song?" 90's Kid asked. She was quiet and focused on the tune and the lyrics.

"Hey." she started. "Let me send you this album. The band is from my home. They're called Xenon. It might be your thing. This song reminded me of them."

"Cool! I'll totally listen to it tonight!" 90's Kid said.

"It's late, so I think I'll sleep. Thanks again, 90's Kid." she said forcing a smile. 90's Kid noticed a change in her attitude, but didn't know how to address it. He simply waved goodbye and shut off the screen.

He jumped off the ship and pranced around. His cheeks were pink and his smile was wide. He raised his hand putting up the horns toward the ceiling. The ecstatic feelings would keep him up all night. 90's Kid realized how she made him feel. There was one person to ask about this.

Harvey smoked on the balcony of the apartment. The moon and his lit cigarette was the only light source. 90's Kid joined him on the balcony despite his dislike of the smoke and the chill air.

"Harvey, dude, I have to ask you something. About, chicks." 90's Kid confessed.

Harvey was surprised and a bit happy. Every man had to go through this talk and he never got to that point with his late son. He took 90's Kid by the shoulder.

"Well, you see, when a man and a wom-"

"No, Harvey, I learned that part in school. I want to ask a girl out, but I don't know how." 90's Kid explained.

"Oh. Well first see if the broad is on the market. You don't want to go stepping on anyone toes. If she's free just take her out and be cool. Ladies like a guy who's sure of themselves. Confidence is the way. Also respect. Respect her wishes." he told him. 90's Kid looked up at the moon and sighed.

"What if she's far away?" he asked Harvey.

"Long distance? Then be clear in how you feel. Maybe go to her before she leaves or to where she is. How long did you know her?"

"24 hours." 90's Kid said.

"I think you need to get to know her a lot longer th-"

"I might not have much time!" 90's Kid interrupted. "I need to say it!"

"You're young, 90's Kid. Fools rush in. You can take your time." Harvey assured.

"I might run out of time." he said and left the balcony.

"Kids." Harvey said to himself and took a puff of his cigarette.

Linkara sat on the couch. He was looking at his laptop and singing. "Come. As you are. As you were. As I want you to be. As a friend. As a friend. As an old enemy..."

"You like that song?" a confused 90's Kid asked as he walked through the living room.

"It was playing at the bar. It's fitting for the moment." Linkara answered. He looked down at the laptop and his eyes widened "How did this video of me and Jearis dancing get on ___You Tube_! Pollo!" he hollered.

Melcandy tossed and turned in her bed. Her eyes were open despite being heavy. There was no trace of Jearis so far. She felt the empty space next to her and wished it was occupied by his body. The memories of playing with his hair, kissing his neck, having him spoon her as she fell asleep kept her awake. He wasn't close, but she wanted him to be. She finally fell asleep on a pillow damp with tears.

The screen on the main computer in the other room said: scan complete. 0 matches found.

End chapter 2 


	3. How can I be just your friend?

"0 matches found" blinked on the screen. Melcandy's expression grew hopeless as she rubbed her tired eyes. She sat and lowered her face into her hands.

"Melcandy, this was only the first stop. The search isn't over." Telly reassured her.

"I know." she answered.

She started her breakfast of cereal, milk, and a strange fruit shaped liked the letter T that she found on her journeys. Her bowl and food sat across from a framed photograph. It was a photograph of her husband, Jearis. She couldn't smile at it today. The stress from his absence was being to show. "After breakfast let's prepare to go. Well, after I say bye to that kid. Might as well do that."

A new song played from a laptop on a desk in 90's Kid's room. He paced around. A ___Pop Tart_ hung from his mouth. Like a doctor writing a prescription by gunpoint, he wrote quickly on his notepad. It was filled with chicken scratch and crossed out words, but held the feelings he has been dying to say for fifteen minutes.

He rested on his bed and finished the ___Pop Tart_ before grabbing another. A new track played and he listened to the lyrics. They were about a man seeing a woman for the first time. It described being smitten and having very little time till they had to say goodbye. 90's Kid related to the song's message and smiled. He knew what to write, grabbed his notepad and thought, this was just the thing to make something awesome happen between us.

Melcandy ate the last of her cereal when she called 90's Kid. I want to say goodbye gently, she thought. "Hello? 90's Kid?" she asked after not seeing him on screen.

She heard rustling and sounds of someone fumbling over things. An out of breath 90's Kid, ___Pop Tart_ still in mouth, muffled out a "Duuuuuuuuuude!" or as it sounded to her "Mmmfffffffffffffm!" She managed to smile and giggle at 90's Kid.

"90's Kid, what are you wearing?" she giggled. He wore his usual green shirt except it was buttoned up and a grey blazer that he stole from Linkara's closet. He had a bowtie, but since he didn't know how to put it on, he pinned it to his hat to make it look "fancy."

He pulled down his shades enough for Melcandy to see his blue eyes. "I dressed up for this occasion." he told her.

"You're looking classy, with a K and dollar sign S's." She laughed, before becoming straight faced. "I was calling to tell you-"

"Hold on!" He interrupted and threw his pop tart to the side. "I wrote something for you, my lady."

Melcandy blinked. Oh no, she thought. He's not going to do what I think he's doing.

"An ode to Melcandy." He began. "You are extreme like a bowl of ice cream! You rushed into my life like a laser through a chest! You look so pretty and never very gritty. Your tech is the best. I hope I'm not a pest! Someday let me take a rest on your nice, bodacious-"

"Stop." Melcandy ordered. "What is this?"

"The next word was ship not-"

"No. 90's Kid, is this… a love poem?"

90's Kid couldn't keep his glance on her. "Yes." he admitted.

She struggled to complement the horrid poem. "That was...not bad."

90's Kid grinned. Those words were enough to brighten any day. Well, honestly just 90's Kid's day since he lacked the social grace to detect the insincerity in her complement. He was just happy and he smiled anyway. "So, you want to keep building things? I'm almost done thanks to you." he asked.

"Actually, 90's Kid. I called to say goodbye. I am on a quest and I didn't find what I was looking for." she explained. His expression turned downcast and his heart broke. This is the most not awesome feeling ever.

"I can help! I have a friend... with a huge ship that has all sorts of stuff to find what you're looking for!" he hurried to say.

"My scanners came up empty. Sorry, but I have to go." she told him. "And you'll find a nicer girl than me. One your own age. But thanks for the poem. I haven't had a guy complement me in a long time."

"You deserve to always be called radical, Melcandy! What are you looking for?"

"My husband. We got split up, but he's off fighting and I'm looking to join him." 90's Kid found it hard to hide his disappointment. He knew she was a bit older, but a first love is always a burden. She wanted to cut things off and move on but she felt a bit sorry for him. "If you ever meet a man named Jearis around these parts, can you let me know?"

"Jearis!?" he exclaimed. "The Gunslinger!?"

"You know him! Where is he? What happened!?"

"He lives here now. He can't go home because Linkara broke his watch since he caused us trouble." he explained.

Melcandy's fists balled up and her body shook. She had a wrathful expression with a small drop of a tear in one eye. They broke his watch. Who is this Linkara? "I'll have to talk to you later 90's Kid." she hung up.

"Wait!" he tried to say before she disconnected. Hurt and rejected, he sat for a moment. His eyes widened, he lifted his head, looked worried and dashed to Linkara.

Melcandy stood in silence for a moment. The breakfast and her husband's photograph flew across the ship when she kicked the breakfast table. Her fists pounded the floor as she screamed her husband's name. Tears welled in her brown eyes. She kneeled on the floor and begun to cry.

"Melcandy, I'm sorry." Telly the AI spoke. "Are there any other materials to-"

"An anchor can only be made in the home universe! We can go back home but we can't find here that easily! We were just lucky!" she yelled.

"Well, what will we do?" Telly asked her.

Melcandy got off the floor and sat in the captain's chair. Her mood changed from woe to rage. "Telly, go over those files of Comicron-1 the kid sent us! Find out its weak points and make a map of it! Prepare the cannons and raise shields to 100 percent! Activate the core pulse up to five!"

"Are you planning a takeover?" Telly asked.

"No." she answered. "We're gonna kill that damn Linkara!"

Linkara sat in his review room, lamenting his poor dancing skills from the night before. He looked at the ___You Tube_ video over and over.

"I honestly look like that!?" he shouted at himself.

"Yes." scattered voices from different rooms said.

90's Kid ran in the room and tried to catch his breath.

"What is it, 90's Kid!" Linkara said.

"It's...horrible." he answered still gasping for air.

"I know. My dancing sucks. I'm a better singer anyway."

"No, dude. Trouble." 90's Kid sat down to rest for a moment.

"Information." said Nimue. "Comicron-1 is under attack."

"WHAT!" Linkara exclaimed.

"I was trying to tell you!" 90's Kid yelled. "I know w-!"

"Nimue, beam me up! I'll take care of this myself!" Linkara said.

"Nope." said Harvey from the door frame with Linksano and Ninja Style Dancer behind him. "What have we told you about teamwork, kid?"

There wasn't time for thank you or touching moments, but they all had an unspoken understanding. You mess with one of us, you mess with us all.

Sparks flew from control panels as Comicron-1 shook under everyone's feet. Resounding booms sounded as weapons pierced the ship. It competed with the repetitive noise of the alarms. Linkara struggled to shout orders to everyone. Linksano went to engineering to keep the core cool and the power on. Harvey tried to maneuver the ship. The Ninja Style Dancer manned weapons as Pollo read off the dropping status of the ship's abilities to withstand this attack. The little ship attacking them was surprisingly strong.

"The scout ship has just been launched." Pollo told Linkara.

"Why?" Linkara asked. "Wait, where's 90's Kid?"

"Linkara!" said a message on the screen. "I'm gonna talk to her!"

"What the hell, 90's Kid! What is-"

"She's Jearis' wife! I've been talking with her and I can stop this!" he explained.

"Comicron-1's weak spots are being attacked one by one." Pollo announced.

"I gotta go talk to her! Trust me!" 90's Kid told him and hung up. He put on his power glove and stood in the center of an octagon. The new cockpit of the scout ship was part advanced technology that it originally had and new add-ons that included an arcade stick, a stick shift with a skull handle, several Sega systems, a hidden pocket to keep his lucky Care Bear and a sound system that rivaled any pimped out car in the state.

Sweat dripped from beneath his backwards cap. He was getting acquainted with nervousness. His hands shook as he called Melcandy and he pressed two buttons on his power glove. A familiar song song played.

Like a bee, Melcandy weaved her spaceship around Comicron-1. Each weak point was targeted with petite laser cannons. She didn't think this was so tough. Comicron's attacks were dodged easily due to her size and speed. The big ship couldn't get her fast enough. The main weapon was almost ready to take out Comicron. She stopped when she heard an unfamiliar guitar riff on her speakers.

"Melcandy!" shouted 90's Kid. "You can't do this!"

"Yes I can and I am! How about that!" her voice shouted.

"Linkara didn't mean to do it! It was a mistake after Jearis-"

"I don't care! My husband can't come home with me! I will destroy Linkara's home! He is gonna know how it feels." she cried.

"You have to go through me. Revenge is not cool, dude. Unless it's Bloodgun. Then it's cool."

"I know everything your ship can do. I helped you build it, idiot! But you don't know anything about me. Telly, final form!"

The ship, Bulk n' Skull, grew two grappling arms and revealed two legs. The head was the cockpit. Melcandy smirked as she looked at 90's Kid on the screen. She nodded at him to rile him up to attack her.

"90's Kid! Are you going to fight that in the scout ship!" asked Linkara in a message. "It doesn't have weapons!"

"Yes it does." he replied. "What did you think I was doing to the ship every day? Playing spaceboy? I wanted the most radical ship ever! And Melcandy! There are things I didn't tell you!"

"Oh? Let's see. Nothing I haven't helped with." she responded.

"Maybe, but I don't want to show you. I don't want to fight you."

"Why? Because you loooove me? You only knew me for days. This isn't a kid's film! And you're a teenager!"

"I don't. I do. Who cares? So what! And I am! I will not let you destroy my friends!" he told her.

"Fine then. Like I said before, ends justify the means." she quoted.

"I can quote things too! Uh, smells like teen spirit!"

She looked disgusted and closed communication.

Melcandy sat up and pulled her controls closer. The small ship, now a mecha, flew at full speed toward the scout ship. The scout ship, Vigilant, moved and shot missiles. They followed the mecha's twists and turns till they got close enough for a hit. The mecha's petite lasers detonated all of them and they left a smoke shield.

90's Kid couldn't see her but moved in anyway. His body controlled the ship according to his leans and kicks. The power glove was the weapon controls along with a few other buttons on the ship. The ship moved closer to the smoke. Melcandy's mecha zoomed out of it and its grappling arms grabbed Vigilant. It began to rip off its outside like a zombie to flesh. A blaster came out of one of Vigilant's compartments and shot the mech a few times to escape. 90's Kid backed off to give him some room to think. Melcandy chased him.

The rest on Comicron watched the two small ships chase and dodge each other's attacks.

"He should be here by now." Linkara said.

"Jearis?" Harvey asked.

The mecha fired at the Vigilant but missed due to 90's Kid getting a better grip on his controls.

"The master cannon is ready to fire, Melcandy." said Telly

"Point it towards Comicron-1! I'm taking those suckers to hell with me!" Melcandy ordered. "FIRE!"

The main cannon fired from the center of the mecha toward Comicron-1. A yellow beam headed towards the control center of the ship. Linkara and company closed their eyes. No one wants to see their own demise.

A house shaped ship flew to the scene and shot at the beam neutralizing it. Melcandy was shocked.

"A plasma neutralizer ray has hindered the attack." Telly explained.

"What! Fire again! Who the hell-"

She was interrupted by her message screen that showed Jearis. A song began to play on everyone's ship. 90's Kid remembered it from that morning. It was a song on the Xenon album Melcandy gave him.

"How can I be just your friend?" Jearis began to sing. "I fall to pieces each time someone speaks your name. I want to be that man who wakes up next to you. 'Cause you're not here, with me... 'Cause you're my everything. 'Cause I fall to pieces each time someone speaks your name."

Melcandy's eyes started to flow with tears. "My Jearis." she whimpered.

"My Melcandy." he said.

"Please stop. I know it hurts, but I have a lot to tell you about, and those people on that ship, they're friends of mine. I understand why you did this. I made mistakes too." Jearis told Melcandy.

She hunched forward and put her face in her hands. "I can't take any of it back! I've done so much just to find you! Jearis..." she cried. Two hands gently touched her from behind and she turned to see Jearis on her ship.

"I missed you too." he told her.

She stood up and grabbed Jearis' into an embrace. He held her tight and stroked her hair as she cried in his chest. The absence of her body was finally filled. She felt a weight float away from her mind. After fighting and working against the grain for a long time, she achieved her goal, to see her husband again. He took her in a passionate kiss. After a few, lip locked moments, they pressed their foreheads together and looked in each other's eyes.

"My word, this is sappy yet beautiful." said Linksano looking at the message on Comicron-1.  
"Everything's quiet. Are they making love in there?"

Jearis turned and noticed the message screens with everyone looking.

"You ruined it, you voyeur." Harvey said.

"You're one to talk! You're the one complaining about ruining it!" Linksano pointed out.

"Honey, did you press 'message all' again before you sung that song?" Melcandy asked.

"Oops. Well, I was in the heat of the moment." he explained.

She kissed him and smiled. "You haven't changed."

"I did a little. Well, a lot. I'll explain WITH Linkara." he emphasized.

Everyone sat in Linkara's place around mugs of coffee or cocoa. They talked about the events of the last few days. Melcandy showed discomfort to be there, especially with 90's Kid staring at her. 90's Kid tried not to stare, but he still had those feelings for her and was still in shock over the fight they had. Harvey sensed this and put a hand on 90's Kid shoulder to calm him.

"I'm sorry, Melcandy." Linkara said. "Even though I tried to make up for it-"

"No, Linkara." Jearis interrupted. "We all made mistakes. If I came to you-"

"We all did!" Melcandy shouted. "We all did. "Especially me."

"I did the whole ends justify means and revenge stuff as I was gathering those guns. I sat around building a...fantasy that what I was doing was right." Jearis told her.

"I almost went down that same path." Linkara started. "I was turning evil. I didn't even notice. It took my gun to put my magic out of commission just so I can change."

"I did some shady stuff to build my ship. I traded and collected scrap, but I also stole, cheated, hurt people for my goal. I even hurt a new friend." Melcandy said looking toward 90's Kid. "90's Kid, I'm sorry for what I said to you. I'm sorry for ruining your ship and I could have hurt you. And I'm sorry for stomping on your feelings." She hugged him. Despite everything that happened, he welcomed her arms and blushed.

"It's okay. You're a too old for me." he told her with a smile and his usual nod. She kissed him on the cheek. "Not too old." he corrected.

"But married." Jearis said pointing at him. The room filled with laughter.

A few weeks passed and Melcandy was helping out 90's Kid once more. They hung out in Comicron-1's hanger to work or just listen to music and read 90's comics. Today, 90's Kid welded a new body for Vigilant and Melcandy and a mobile Telly programmed the inside.

"This is going to be my magnum opus." She stated with confidence.

"You said that yesterday before it failed on you. I think that is your bad luck word." Telly said.

"Bad luck is spelled T-E-L-L-Y."

"Wow. I guess you have good luck if you can go this long without knowing how to properly spell." Telly told her. Melcandy pouted. "Mel: 33, Telly: 196."

"Melcandy! 90's Kid!" yelled Linksano as he stomped through the hangar bay. "Did you take my maser antistapler!"

"Nope, we're using mine." Melcandy answered.

"Yeah, Linksano. We haven't snuck into your tool room." 90's Kid said.

Linksano grumbled as he left. Little did he know Pollo had it to use in an attempt to not only make himself arms that work, but maybe become a mecha.

"Dude! When the new part scout ship part giant robot is done, I'm gonna name it Deathmech the Extreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeme!" 90's Kid said.

"Uh, maybe we should stick with Vigilant. Linkara might like that." she told him.

Jearis pointed his gun at Linkara. A shock was on Linkara's face as his new friend pulled the trigger. A bullet hit him in the chest. A deadly shot, however, it was a NERF dart. They did shooting practice with NERF on the holodeck, but everyone knew it was just two men playing like boys.

"I believe this proves I'm the better gunslinger between us." Jearis taunted.

"Best 5 out of 8!" Linkara said "Restart the counter."

That night Melcandy transported onto Jearis' ship. They greeted with a kiss and held the others hands.

"Sierra. Make sure there are no disruptions tonight." Jearis said.

"No problem, Master." it answered.

He picked up his wife and spun her around like he did when they married. They kissed as they continued to the bedroom to spend a night taking comfort in each other. They planned to make up for those long years alone. Even with the hardships life had waiting for them, they could handle it better than ever.

THE END


End file.
